Card clothing stripper



April 24, 1956 G. A. PETTIT ETAL CARD CLOTHING STRIPPER 4 Sheets-Sheet l I Filed Nov. 21, 1952 INVENTORS G. A. PETTIT R. A. RUSCA ATTORNEY April 24, 1-956 6. A. PETTIT ETAL CARD CLOTHING STRIPPER 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed NOV. 21, 1952 INVENTORS G.A. PETTIT R.A. RUSCA J4 ATTORNEY April 24, 1956 e. A. PETTIT HAL CARD 01.0mm: STRIPPER 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Nov. 21, 1952 INVENTORS G. A. PETTIT RA. RUSCA ATTORNEY April 24, 1956 G. A. PETTIT ETAL 2,742,673

CARD CLOTHING STRIPPER Filed Nov. 21, 1952 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTOR5 GA. PETTIT RA. RUSCA BY 94-11% ATTORNEY United States Patent CARD CLGTHING STRIPPER George A. Pettit'andRalph A. Rusca, New Orleans, La.,

assiguors to the United States of America as repre- A non-exclusive, irrevocable, royalty-free license in the invention herein described, for all governmental purposes, throughout the world, with the power to grant sublicenses for such purposes, is hereby granted to the Government of the United States of America.

This invention relates to the removal of undesired impactions of fibers from the needles of card clothing. More particularly this invention provides a mechanical device adapted for continuously stripping the card clothing of carding machines during the carding operations.

During a carding operation some fibers become impacted upon the needles of the card clothing in a manner in which they are not removed by the fiber removing units of the machine. The amount of impacted fiber gradually builds up to a point at which it interferes with the carding operation.

Various mechanical and pneumatic devices have been developed for strippingcard clothing (i. e., removing the impacted fibers) during the carding operation. Pneumatic stripping devices cannot feasibly be controlled as to the amount of impacted fibers they remove and for this reason are usually operated to remove substantially all of the impacted fibers. As is known to those skilled in the art, completely stripped areas of card clothing needles do not card properly until they have again accumulated a certain amount of impacted fibers. The heretofore known continuously operating mechanical stripping devices subject all of the card clothing needles to frequent contact with the stripping needles resulting in considerable wearing of both the ping needles.

An object of the present invention is to provide a means of continuously subjecting operating card clothing to a controlled stripping which removes only the amount of impacted fibers above that amount which is necessary for most efiicient carding. A further object is to provide a'mechanical stripping apparatus adapted for attachment to standard carding machines which stripping apparatus avoids damages to fibers being carded or to card clothing needles, does not cause nepping of the fibers, and is subject to wear only on inexpensive parts which can quickly and easily be replaced. Further objects and advantages will appear from the following description. v I

In general the card clothing stripping apparatus provided by this invention comprises: a rotary mechanical stripping element having a stripping area which is small in width in comparison to the width of the area of card clothing to be stripped and provided with stripping needles and means for thrusting said needles radially out from the stripping area of said element, into engagement with the card clothing needles, and withdrawing said needles into said element, to release the impacted fibers impaled upon them as the stripping element rotates; a housing for said element; a support for said element and housing; a means for rotating said element; and a means for moving said element andhousing across the area of card clothing to be stripped.

clothing and the strip 2,742,673 Patented Apr. 24, 1956 In a preferred embodiment of the apparatus, the rotary stripping element comprises a shaft terminating in a disc shaped composite rotor. Said rotor is provided with a circumferential surface pierced with holes, movable needle carriers mounted within said circumferential surface,

and cotton working needles mounted in said carriers and lying within said holes. A means for moving the needle carriers as the rotor revolves is arranged to move the needle carriers into positions in which the needles are thrust out through the holes and into engagement with the card clothing needles, when the holes are adjacent to the card clothing, and into positions in which. the needles are withdrawn into the holes, as the holes move away from the area of engagement. The housing for the rotary stripping element is arranged to provide a bearing for the rotor shaft and to provide a passageway extending from the area of engagement, of the rotor needles with the card clothing needles, around the circumferential surface of the rotor and back to the area to engagement.

Although in the following description and illustrations the present card clothing stripping apparatus is described with particular reference to its use in cleaning the card clothing on the main cylinder of a standard carding ma-. chine, the stripping apparatus can suitably be used to clean the card clothing on revolving flats, dofling rolls and the like processing units. Where a more frequent removal of impacted fibers is desirable, the stripping area of the rotary stripping element can suitably extend across large segments or across the entire area of the card clothing to be stripped. In the latter case the traversing means is, of course, unnecessary.

Figure 1 is an end elevation illustrating the principal parts of one embodiment of the stripper mounted to op-.

the parts would appear when viewed from the left side of the card.

Figure 2 is a pictorial view illustrating the principal parts of the rotary stripping element and its housing as viewed from the right of the center of the main cylinder.

Figure 3 illustrates the disc shaped composite rotor.

Figure 4 illustrates the disassembled principal components of the rotary stripping element and its housing.

Figure 5 is a side elevation with parts removed as viewed from the back of the card.

Figure 6 illustrates a suitable belt and pulley arrangement for rotating the rotary stripping element.

Figure 7 illustrates a suitable arrangement for closing the portion of the opening in the main cylinder back plate not occupied by the rotary stripping: element and its housing.

Referring to the preferred embodiment of the stripping apparatus as illustrated by the drawings, the rotary stripping element comprises shaft 1 and disc shaped composite rotor 2. Shaft 1 is supported by bearings 3 and is turned by means of pulley sheave 4. Rotor 2 is centered on the end of shaft 1 and is preferably a continuation thereof. The circumferential surface of rotor 2 is pierced by holes 5. Movable needle carriers 6 are slideably mounted within the circumferential surface of rotor 2 in slots 7. Cotton working needles 8 are attached to needle carriers 6 and are slideably deposed within holes 5.

The means for moving needle carriers 6 comprises pins 9 attached to the needle carriers and slideably deposed within circular slot 10 in end plate 11 of housinglZ. Circular slot 10 is displaced with respect to the aXis of shaft 1 toward one side of rotor 2 and thus, as rotor 2 revolves, needle carriers 6 are moved toward that side by the action of pins 9 sliding in circular slot 10. The respective distances are arranged so that as holes 5 reach one side of @eigcle through which they travel, needles 8 are thrust out and extend radially from the surface of rotor 2, and as holes 5 reach the opposite side of said circle, pins 8 are at least substantially withdrawn within the circumterm ni s rf c rotor The housing for the rotanystripping element, honsing c ntains sl eve. PQ iQ adap d o ece v hear n 3.- End. n e PQIl QH ll of h usi e .2 s emo ably attached by bolts 14. Housing 12 is arranged to provide a passageway. 15 extending from the area of engagement between rotor needles 8 and card clothing needles 16, the circumferential surface of rotor 2 and back t area o eme Housing 12 and the rotary stripping element it contains aresuppo'rted by a carrier 13 having grooved wheels 17 t. tt'dm d str din s 19 at puppq t rs 18 which support and. guide the carrying unit are attached to brackets 21 which are rernoyably attached to main cylinder back plate 22. Back plate 22 is cutaway across the W dth .Q hema n cy nder q pr pening 3 ro g which the stripper operates; see Figure l.

Hopsing 12' and the rotary element it contains are mgvqdeq h r a of t e a o in t b ea by the action of traversing screw 24 in conjunction with a contacting pawl in slecve25. which is attached to carrier e fi t w ns e e b a. onvent nal drive mechanism not shown. The. traversing screw drive pulley or sprocket can be driven from either the extend ing portion'of the lickerin axle, the cylinder axle, or other suitable means.

Pulley sheaves 26 and 27 are rotatably mounted on carrier 13 These sheaves in conjunction with sheaves 28, 29, and 30, rotatably mounted on the card frame, and pulley belt 31 provide a means of rotating sheave 4, which is attached to shaft 1, by means of power supplied to sheave 29, preferably from the cylinder axle.

The portion of the opening 23 in back plate 22 not occupied by the rotary stripping element and its housing is closed by means of closure ribbons 34. The end of one closure ribbon is attached to. unit housing 12 and the end of the opposite closure ribbon is attached to end plate portion 11 of housing 12. Each ribbonhas a length equal to the width of the main cylinder and they slidefreely in guides 32 and 33-thus keeping the unusedportioniof-opening 23 in back plate22 covered The portion of the closure ribbons34. not covering the opening 2 3,in back plate 22; slide; freely around circular portions and into the straight portion of ribbon holder the pressure on the pawl and permitting the latter to be re Qi scre .4.

A means of manually locking rotor 2 in a position in which rotor needles 8 are entirely clear of the card clothing needles is provided by latch 40. In engaged position, the pin of latch 40 enters hole 41 in pulley sheave 4, and thus restrains rotor 2 in neutral position.

For use in cleaning the card clothing on the main cylinder of a card the cleaning area of the rotary strip.- ping element is preferably such that a comparatively narrow portion (about /2" in width) of the surface of the cylinder clothing will be contacted by the needles of the rotary element, As the element. slowly traverses from side to side a continuous spiraling strip of impacted fibers is removed. The card clothing is subjected to only the minimum wear and disturbance necessary to keep the clothing in an ideal operating condition. The needles of the rotary cleaning element are preferably adjusted so that when fully extended they reach into rf ce of the card clothing the distance necessary to leave the optimum amount of impacted fibers. The needles are preferably slightly offset or bent near the points to form a modified hook. They are preferably rotated at a; surface speed slightly in excess of the surface speed of the cardclothing. When they are so shaped and rotated the needles hook and lift the excess fibers which are imbedded in the card clothing. The fibers impaled on the needles are released as the rotor revolves and; the needles are retracted at least substantially completely into the holes in the rotary cleaning element. Due to air currents and the pushingand dragging action of other fibers in the path of the needles, the released fibers are moved along thepassageway around the rotary cleaning element and are deposited on the points of the card clothing needles.

In the art oftextiletprocessing it is well known that carding machines mustbe stripped at intervals of three tov six hours in order to remove the impacted fibers from the clothing. Continued operation of a carding machine without stripping will result in the production of increasingly inferior card sliver, and, if. operation is continued without stopping and stripping, a product that is unusable will result.

A comprehensive-picture of the performance of this inventionon a standard cardingmachine is-refiected from the following data.

A, cardingmachine was ground and thoroughly condioned beforestartingt the test.

Amount Sliver- Carded Cardt'nq Nep Uni- Ib. Time Count formity Remarks Without- Stripping 26. 5 2 hrs. 31. 66

Attachment, 1 mins. With Stripping Ab. 298,36; 2?.hrs. 34.37 The slight increase in nep taehmen 45mins. count; is due to the thor- Tot ttn ag hrs. or. equiva- IUDhiO-S or 10 normal stripping periods;

oughly clean condition oi the clothing when first 26.5#' were run. Nep oounti would increase as clothing would gradually become loaded.

linn di nto; h pp a o t hereby eleas g:v

At the end of test, the card was producing sliver of normal anduniform" consistency indicating that the card clothingwas in condition for continued operation without any attention.

The absence of leaf and stem particles imbeddecl in the clothingdue to the action of the stripper provided by this invention is very noticeable.

We claim:

1. A card stripping apparatus comprising a rotary mechanical strippingelement, having a stripping arca which-issmali in width inlcomparison to the width of the area of: card; clothing; to; be. stripped and provided with; stripping needles: andimeans for thrusting said needles radially out from the stripping area of said element into engagement with the card clothing needles and withdrawing said needles into said element, to release the impacted fibers impaled upon them as the stripping element rotates; a housing for said element defining a continuous passageway leading from the area of engagement between the stripping needles and the card clothing needles, around the stripping element, and back to the card clothing during the carding operation, comprising: a rotary stripping element and a housing therefor; means turf-supporting said element and housing adjacent to a traverse slot in the main cylinder back plate; means for moving said element and housing back and forth across said-slot; means for continually closing the portions of said slot which are not occupied by said stripping element I and housing; and means for rotating said rotary element at ,a rate at which its surface speed slightly exceeds the 9. surface speed of the main cylinder of the card; said rotary stripping element containing a disc shaped composite rotor, having a cylindrical circumferential surface pierced v with holes, arranged to rotate in a direction oppositevto the direction of rotation of the main cylinder with its axis Z parallel to the axis of the main cylinder; said rotor I containing hooked textile fiber working needles mounted in movable needle carriers and slideably deposed within holes in the circumferential surface of the rotor; said I rotary element housing'containing means arranged to coact with the rotation of the rotor and move said needle carriers into positions in which the needles are thrust out into engagement with the card clothing when the holes containing them are adjacent to the card clothing, and into positions in which the needles are substantially completely withdrawn into the holes containing them when the holes are furthest removed from the card clothing,

and providing a continuous passageway extending from the area of said engagement around the circumferential surface of the rotor and back to said area.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 in which the needle carriers are transversely slideable within the circumferential surface of the rotor and are provided with pins slideably confined within a circular groove in the rotor housing, said groove lying in a plane parallel to the plane through which the pins move as the rotor rotates and having a center displaced from the center of rotation of the rotor in the direction of the card clothing, so that the needle carriers are moved into the positions in which they thrust out and withdraw the needles by the action of the pins in following the curvature of the groove as the rotor rotates.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS- 329,356 Bradshaw Oct. 27, 1885 1,913,016 Walsh June 6, 1933 2,506,005 White May 2, 1950 2,585,776 Hermanek Feb. 12, 1952 FOREIGN PATENTS 9,459 Great Britain of 1915 15,213

Great Britain of 1914 

